August 2005

Do patients tell you what to do?

by Dr. Kevin Pallis and Dr. Ed Plentz

"It hurts right here, doc." "My insurance only covers for three visits so see what you can do." "I've been to five other doctors, what have I got to lose?" "Could you rub right here doc, that's the spot." "If you don't fix it I'll go to my real doctor."

The things we chiropractors do for a patient to accept us. When will we realize that, with the courage and the know‑how, if we aren't happy with our role in society we can change it?

Imagine how Native Americans or African‑Americans felt when "civilized" society didn't accept them or their ways. The stereotypes that were cast upon them by the majority were negative, de‑humanizing...and false. Now, let's turn to our great profession. Ask the majority what the identity of a chiropractor is, and you know what you'll get. From the slang and derogatory "back‑cracker" comments, to the charge that DCs cause strokes with cervical "manipulation," it sounds a lot like "civilized" society is rearing its ugliest head again, doesn't it?

If you want patients to stop telling you what to do, then you'll have to start telling them what to do and the expected behaviors in your office. There's a huge difference between what patients want and what they need. Just ask a lottery winner what happened a year after winning. Your office procedures and patient education are designed to invisibly orient new patients to this unfamiliar concept called chiropractic, gently guiding and directing them to empower themselves on their new journey of health.

Many of your new patients will say they already "know" chiropractic or have been to another DC. Just smile and say, "of course," then put the person through every office procedure and offering of patient education, just as though he or she had never been to a chiropractor. If you want the public's perception of chiropractic to change, it begins with your next new patient.

In offices where patients tell the doctor what to do (a patient‑run office) the game being played is a high stakes cat and mouse financial game, cloaked under the guise of being of service to our fellow human beings. Adjusting on the first visit. "Let's make a deal" finances. All the while, the doctor is surrounded by people who reinforce the stereotypical image of back‑cracking chiropractic. Most want to make a killing quickly and get out of our profession before they lose their minds.

Much like a parent giving into the demands of spoiled children, this erodes what's left of a doctor's self‑esteem. Many might ask, where's the educational reform necessary to reposition people's concept of chiropractic? Well, in this type of office there isn't any. All the marketing and selling in the world won't change an already tarnished image. We watch as the identity of chiropractic sinks further and further into oblivion.

Do you have what it takes to be a rebel? The bravery necessary to introduce the world to a "foreign" concept called chiropractic? In the minds of the majority, healthier people making a healthier world is a figment of a naive person's imagination. Trillions of dollars are invested and hundreds of laws enacted to make sure that we're not successful in getting this concept out. Being a member of this "underground" movement takes courage. Many DCs outside of this group don't see themselves in the company of previous leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King. This social movement is of an even greater magnitude of humanity because it's not limited by skin color, religion, or political belief. It includes everybody and excludes nobody. There can be no world peace without health.

Being a rebel has nothing to do with body shape, physical strength, or where you live. If we're honest with ourselves, we're really rebelling against our own indifference. The indifference that says "I can't make a difference in the world. The world is medically driven and always will be. There's not a damn thing I can do about it." The rebel takes a stand against all the things that most people can't do anything about.

What would happen in your office, if every one of your patients were immersed in an educational program of chiropractic 101? Your patients would "get it." Your practice would grow exponentially (families). Paperwork would get less and less. Legal, insurance, and accounts receivable would dwindle to being almost non‑existent. Practice would once again be fun and profitable. Imagine the feeling of wanting to go to the office to see your patients. With enough DCs who educate, we will change the public's image of chiropractic, sending the entire profession into a New Renaissance. The choice is yours.

(The New Renaissance is a movement of passionate chiropractors dedicated to changing the world. The leader in patient education since 1977, the Mentor IV Coaching Program is a step‑by‑step navigational guide that embodies the very essence of The New Renaissance vision of healthier people creating a healthier world. Without patient education, your patients won't "get it." To learn more about The New Renaissance, contact world headquarters at 800‑525‑3879.)